Patriots signing Jerry Rice’s son

The New England Patriots are looking to win its seventh game in a row on Sunday, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Ahead of that game, New England is shoring up their wide receiver room. New England is signing wide receiver Brenden Rice, per NFL insider Jordan Schultz. Rice is the son of NFL legend Jerry Rice.

“The former USC star (12 TDs as a senior) spent camp with the Chargers,” Schultz reported on X, formerly Twitter, Tuesday.

Rice played his college football at USC and Colorado. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft, with the 225th overall pick. Rice has yet to post any stats in the National Football League.

Rice is going to be on New England’s practice squad, per MassLive. New England is 7-2 on the campaign, and looking stronger than they have been in years. The Pats are first currently in the AFC East.

New England is currently on a six-game winning streak. The team’s last loss was to the Pittsburgh Steelers in September.

Patriots are hoping to make the AFC Playoffs after a drought

New England has a new head coach this season, in Mike Vrabel. Vrabel replaced Jerod Mayo, who was fired after a single season with the franchise. New England won just four games in 2024, with Mayo as head coach.

The Patriots are getting plenty of production this campaign from their young quarterback, Drake Maye. Maye has posted career-high numbers already this year, with 17 touchdown passes and 2,285 passing yards. He has completed 74 percent of his passes.

New England hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2021 season. The franchise’s legendary coach Bill Belichick left after the 2023 season, in a somewhat acrimonious parting. Vrabel is the third head coach the team has had in as many seasons.

The Patriots and Buccaneers play Sunday at 1:00 ET. Tampa Bay is 6-2 on the campaign. Time will tell if Brenden Rice is able to have a productive role with New England.